Hey People. Time to get you updated on some new win.
Now even though this is made for the braided and locked ladies, I’m basically suggesting this for anyone who’s interested. Looks like I run across this Great Braid/Scalp Relief Spray from Dr. Miracles Product Line.

Now it’s designed for ladies who have braids, twists or locks in their hair. You know those first two days when you get braided/tightened up can be uncomfortable at times, and there are tons of sprays out there that say they offer relief. Well, at this point in the game, I’ve tried the majority of them. And while most are fairly decent, Dr. Miracle’s Braid Relief Spray is the only one that is literally blowing my mind.

Lightweight and non-greasy, the spray smells lovely (like a mix of eucalyptus and peppermint) and feels even better. After braiding up the hair, I give it a direct spray and wait for the magic to happen… a wonderful warm and tingling sensation that kicks in within 2 minutes of application… and gives you and your scalp a much-needed release from the tension of fresh hair braids. And my hair braider doesn’t even do tight braids (it’s why I love her)… but I still use it just for the feeling of freshness and tingly I get when using it… it just feels so good. It says that it promotes healthy scalp and hair stimulation… and with the way it feels, I really wouldn’t doubt it.

So heads up, braided up and loc’ed ladies. You should actually give this braid spray a try. They aren’t playing… it does what it says it came to do. Definitely worth looking into. Hey, even if you don’t keep your hair loc’ed or braided, I’d say you’d give this a try regardless. This is one of those products where you’re not going to lose, no matter the hair type.

Well I’ve got tons of info. While I was gone, I did get my hands on the InStyler (thanks Stephanie!). I’ve got a few reviews and thoughts on it.

Now, anyone with 4B hair knows that you’re still gonna have to do a bit more work with out hair if you want to get it straight. The good news however, is that the instyler does work on 4b hair really, really well. I was surprised. While I knew that totally straightening my hair with this tool might not been possible, it still did really good job on my hair.

More pros for the instyler? It really does leave your hair looking shinier and feeling much softer. And your ends will definitely be nice and straight. It probably has something to so with that rotating iron and brush that’s attached to it, I’m sure. And I do like the brush feature attached… it basically ensures that your hair will NOT get tangled at any point during straightening. It also isn’t as time-consuming as I thought it might be… it takes about 30 to 45 minutes to do your entire head decently.

The Cons? Yeah. If you have 4A or 4B type of hair… you’re STILL gonna have to hit the roots with a pressing comb. while the InStyler does wonders for the shaft and ENDS of your hair… it’s a little tough to get close to your roots without burning yourself, and even if you do, you still can’t hit those roots the way you need to in order to keep your hair straight throughout the day. I WAS able to get to the roots without burning my scalp (with practice), but even so… I went to a grammy afterparty and QUICKLY sweated out the roots, while the rest of my hair stayed straight. But I went into this knowing that I’d still have to break out the pressing comb ahead of time. I know my hair. lol.

On the side of that… sometimes, the InStyler can be a bit hard to master on the mechanical side. What do I mean you ask? Well, the problem with the InStyler is that it only rotates going in ONE direction (or I havent figured out how to get it spinning the other way). This can make it hard to curl your hair in the direction that you want to, ESPECIALLY if you’re a lefty. You also have to make sure that the iron is constantly rotating downwards if you want to straighten your hair to the best of your ability without damaging it. Hopefully with future models, they’ll figure out how to make the rotating iron rotate in whatever direction you need in order to curl/straighten your hair.

Other than that… if you’re just looking for a basic straightening tool that’s cost-effective… or if you’re looking for something that’s one step above your normal flat-iron… this is a great choice for you. Especially if you have hair that’s 3B and below. This InStyler will be a breeze for you. 4A and up women… definitely helpful, and worth the money. But don’t be mad when we gotta break out the Pressing Comb to hit those edges…. You know what it is. But still. A great tool regardless.

Yes, I want to post up a picture. Maybe later. I’m not too keen on that yet. lol.

Also, again, I want to thank you for your patience. A few family members took ill… my uncle just passed of renal failure, and then my mother took ill with gallbladder issues. I’ve been running around taking care of business and other blogs… but I’ve been meaning to get at you guys for a while. Thanks again for caring.

so after researching and digging deep for the new hair product combo for the next few months… i decided that i was gonna roll with the Ovation Therapy for washing and conditioning, and Darcy’s Botanicals for oils and hair cremes and whatnot. Darcy’s came with a strong recommendation from another hair blogging pro who knows her products. made from all natural, 100% vegan products, its great for naturally curly hair. plus, they have a hair and body oil scented with peach nectar… im intrigued to see what it feels and smells like.

as for ovation, im going with the product to see what the exact difference is between it and MegaTek… since they are from the same company. i had great results with the leave in and wash out MegaTek conditioners stopping breakage with my hair, so i want to give ovation a try and see if theres any real difference between the two. i ended up ordering the special system kit… 6 ounce bottles of the shampoo (which i never use up anyways), creme rinse and conditioner for about $55 dollars. its alot cheaper than ordering the 12 ounce bottle set, which would be $110 easily. ill keep you updated on progress with that as well.

a little later, ill get into the results from shapleys as well. its been REALLY good for me… so well start going through the pros and cons in a little bit.

hey people. hope everything is good out there in hair land.
i just wanted to give you the updates on the hair and product results ive been getting.
also, its time to choose new hair products. always a hard decision. but well get into it. first, lets talk about the MegaTek.

well, a few days ago, i took out the braids for rebraiding and washing. i was worried the whole time… concerned about shedding and breakage that was happening earlier this year (due to monistat usage on hair). i bought in MegaTek leave in conditioner (Mane, Hoof, and Tail for horses) which i had been using on a daily basis, along with their rinse out conditioner (coat and pad rebuilder for cats and dogs.) id use the leave in on a daily basis, and use the rinse out whenever it was time to wash out my braids or hair. now while i love what the megatek did for the over all thickness and health of my hair, i have to admit, i think it was the rinse out conditioner that did the most for me when it came to stopping the breakage. which it did wonderfully.

i have to tell you, when i took out the braids and thoroughly washed my hair and started to blowdry…. i saw a complete drop in the amount of hair that was breaking off. a LOT. REALLY happy about that. were back down to the normal 100 to 150 strands. even when blow drying, i noticed that NO hair was breaking off during the process. its great. so im really happy with the results im getting from megatek. great growth and thickness from the leave in, and GREAT results with stopping breakage from the rinse out conditioner… which is what i wanted.
i officially suggest this for anyone trying to do ANYTHING regarding length with their hair. youll definitely get results.

now the hard thing is… making the decision as to what the next product is. ovation is obviously first in line, but darcy’s botanicals got a strong recommendation from a hair blogging pro. id like to keep megatek somewhere in the rotation, but again, there are options like devacurl and kinky curly out there. then you have to figure out what has sulfates in them… because its best if we avoid them, is the word.

i got a few days before i need to get on the interwebs and search out things for purchase, so ive got some time. but its so hard to pick one for sure. im usually stuck with it for another 3 to 4 months… unless it absolutely sucks. i guess im going to look out for the products with the sulfates and avoid those… and narrow it down from there.

if you have ANY suggestions… feel free to let me know. im up for anything.

hey peoples. hope all is good out there in hair land. so sorry for the delay… had some family business we had to wrap up and handle.

so in my last blog, i talked alot about monistat and shedding, and how i got the shedding and breakage to stop for me. one of the best things for me to use on my own hair is a made at home conditioner thats easy for anyone to make. its really simple… half an avocado… and an egg.

i know, i know. wtf is up with all this weird stuff you put in your hair sometimes? lol. i know. but let me explain the logic behind it for you really fast. avocado is REALLY high in natural vitamin e oils… one of the best oils you can use for your hair. especially for african american hair. as for the egg… it is high in natural proteins and biotin which are both great for strengthening weak hair, or hair prone to breakage. i only like to use it once in a while… when i feel like my hair is kinda weak, and whatever products im using at the time just arent cutting it.
so let me know break down how you want to use this and how to do this, if youre interested. its not that hard, really. all you want to do is break out your blender, get an avocado, half it, and drop it into the blender. follow suit with ONE egg… crack and drop into the blender. blend together slowly until well mixed together. pour it into a cup and let it sit while you go get your hair wash on. some people like to add something extra to it… i like to add a bit of Doo Gro or Palmers olive oil to it for extra moisturizing… or like a friend i know, who likes to add a bit of beer to hers, for extra strenthening (and yes ladies, the beer thing is true for your hair, and really good as well.) from there, apply the mix to your hair, and let it sit for no less than 15 to 30 minutes. i like to go for 45 sometimes. now heres the IMPORTANT part… when you rinse your hair, RINSE WITH COLD WATER ONLY. not warm, not hot. COLD WATER. why? well first of all, it closes the hair shaft, sealing in all the good nutrients that your hair just absorbed… and most important… if you rinse with warm water… the egg in your hair will LITERALLY COOK and leave little bits of scrambled egg in your hair that youll be rinsing and picking out for DAYS. COLD WATER, hear me?

now, on to the next topic…
sulfates and your hair.
well, a lot of what im hearing lately in the hair blogosphere is that sulfates are horrid for hair. especially african american hair. something in the sulfates that make our hair weaker everytime we use it. and a LOT of sulfates can be found in our daily shampoos and conditioners. i checked a few bottles of old shampoo ive used in the past, and sure enough… sulfates all over the place.
so i was talking to a friend over at http://productjunkiediva.blogspot.com/, and she, being the queen of all hair products, suggested that i look into a natural hair care line called http://darcysbotanicals.com/. seems as if she has a wonderfun leave in hair conditioner that i should be trying… and i definitely will be getting to it. all her products are sulfate free… and use nothing but natural products for hair strengthening. thats what *IM* looking for.

so ill definitely keep you updated… im going to start using megatek on my little sisters hair… see what her results are, since we both have the same type of hair (4B! i found out! lol). ill be looking into making purchases from ovation and darcys botanicals… and seeing how that goes.

Yup. Its time to go there. Get comfortable ladies… Im going in.
so this is what most of you have been waiting for… the use of Monistat Creme on your scalp for Hair Growth.
now i ALREADY know what youre thinking…. “monistat? ewww. omgwtfbbq are you doing?” and “omg! it doesnt go there!” lol. i know ladies, i know. and everything youre thinking right now is exactly what went through my mind when i first started to hear about it. but as i started to research it more, and found that women were getting real results with it… i figured that it was time to consider it. maybe give it a try.

before i did that, i decided to do some basic research, figure out what was going on, and what was making Monistat Antifungal creme so hot in the streets for hair growth. well, from everything ive pulled and researched on hair and Monistat, it goes a little something like this. all women of all colors EVERYWHERE seem to have a natural bacteria which inhibits hair growth. men seem to have very little if NONE of this bacteria on them… which explains how a LOT of men are able to grow long tresses without even trying at times. what exactly this bacteria is, iont know. but i am googling as youre reading this, be aware. lol.

so it seems as if Monistat’s main ingredient, Miconazole Nitrate (pronounced as mye-KON-a-zole, an Antifungal creme), seems to neutralize this natural bacteria on our scalps, allowing for hair to grow at normal to above normal speed. this seems to be incredibly true when it comes to African American ladies and our hair. they say normally that your hair grows about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch every month. but some of us out there know that it doesnt always go like that. for me, my problem was that when my hair tends to hit a certain length, growth seems to stall out, making it harder for me to get the length that i want.

so how did i run into this weird method, and what made me try it? well, in january 2009, about 2 and 1/2 years after cutting off all my hair and starting it from scratch in june of 2006, i noticed that my hair (while thick and healthy) was beginning to reach that point where growth stalls out hard for me… around about (upper) shoulder length. that was about the time i decided to hop on the interwebs and start searching for new products and methods out there. this was about the time i found out about MegaTek, Surge, Shapleys… and Monistat. now at the time, out of all the brands mentioned, Monistat seemed to be getting the most… and best feedback. i was intrigued and weirded out all at once. lol. but i decided once i got all my new hair products in, i would give this a legitimate try.

so now we get into the method i used, and the results that ive gotten thus far.
back in february, i decided to start slow and easy. i didnt want to spend too much money, so i went and purchased some store brand antifungal creme. i also didnt want to overwhelm my hair with anything it wasnt used to, so i purchased the 7 day creme… the one with the smallest amount of Miconazole Nitrate in it.

store brands FTW.

ill run you through the first two times i used the creme.
i was being extra careful (paranoid) with it, so i decided to try out the creme a day or two before i took out my braids… so that i could wash the creme out if i felt like there were any problems or issues with my scalp or hair. so heres what i did. i took small amounts of creme, put it on the tips of my fingers, and applied it directly to my SCALP. not my hair or hair shaft. from what i read at that point, i understood that its best that you avoid your hair as much as possible and focus on your scalp… where the bacteria lives. i started off on the back of my scalp, and let it sit for a day before applying to my entire head. now, the feeling i got from the monistat on my scalp was admittedly nice. a warm, intense tingle, followed by a little bit of itching (clean scalp that itches = hair growth, according to old wives/gramma tales). once the first day passed and i was sure that there were no adverse effects, i went ahead and applied it to my whole head, and let it sit for another 2 or 3 days before taking out my braids and thoroughly washing my hair.

not exaggerating…. the results were instantaneous and obvious for me. i literally had immediate growth from application within a week. and it was noticeable growth… enough that even the boyfriend made a comment on the growth. i kid you not… it was no less than an inch of growth within 2 to 3 weeks. unheard of… and not really seen again until i started using Shapleys. i figured the results were connected to the fact that i had never used it before… so i decided to braid up the hair again, and do the same thing towards the end of my braid cycle again. this time, i decided to up it from the 7 day creme to the 3 day… just to see if the results would be any different. did the same thing… applied the creme to the scalp, waited about 2 days, took out the braids, gave it a thorough wash.

this time was a biiiit different. while the growth continued… and it was ridiculous… i also began to notice that the breaking/shedding of my hair was slightly more pronounced. nothing really serious… but enough to make me take notice. a little more than usual, and looking like the breakage was taking place closer to the scalp rather than towards the ends of my hair. i was a little bothered by this… but incredibly impressed by the results. at this point, i had gotten no less than 3 inches of growth in 2 and a half months. i decided that i wouldnt be greedy and give my scalp a break… focus on stopping the shedding and breakage, and maintaining the amazing new growth i was getting. i immediately broke out the old school natural conditioners that are great for breakage… the avocado and egg conditioner. it took a while, but the breakage slowed down greatly. and yes. one day, i will blog about the egg and avocado hair conditioner and how to make it for you. :D

now i have to admit, while the growth has been amazing… the shedding that i get from using the creme can be a deterent from using it even more. from the additional research ive done, it seems as if the shedding increases after using it for a while and stopping. but i never really used it like that… on a daily basis. more like a once every 4 weeks treatment. as of the last time i used it (about 2 weeks ago, before rebraiding again), the growth was continuing in LARGE amounts. but now, im only using the creme probably about once every 3 to 4 months, just as an extra growth boost. they also suggest that you dont use the product too much on the packaging, so ill follow their lead. i also dropped back to the 7 day creme just to be sure i wasnt doing too much with the Miconazole. another step i took is to wash the creme out within 24 hours of putting it on my head… no more than that. literally, ill put it on my scalp at night, wake up the next morning, take out my braids and wash out my hair thoroughly. and ill be honest… the results that ive been getting from Shapley’s is comparable to what i was getting to the monistat… without the breakage. so ill be switching the product in and out from time to time.

so in the end, im a bit torn on monistat. but im still giving it two afropicks up (LoL). i definitely will continue to use it once in a while, but the added shedding of hair will always be on the back on my mind. however, the growth and results are so amazing, frankly… im willing to take that chance. ive finally passed that hair growth threshold i felt like i couldnt get past, and am finally getting close to the length that i want. and i really have to credit that to my usage of Miconazole from a few months back. hopefully, with the help of good old fashioned rosemary and Shapleys… we can keep this growth alive while cutting out the shedding.

would i suggest this? well, if you are just not getting any growth, or if youre at a point where you feel like growth has stalled out, i would say yes. all the way around. it can be a good start point if youre just NOT getting the growth you want. but PLEASE. go into this knowing that your hair WILL SHED a bit more than usual. if you dont have any extra hair to spare (lol), i would suggest that you fall back and try Shapley’s MTG FIRST. if that doesnt work for you… THEN step your game up to the monistat.

now heads up… if youre weirded out or just NOT comfortable using Monistat on your scalp, there are TONS of other options with the same key ingredient in it. they are ALL antifungal tho, so either way, its gonna be some non typical stuff being put in your hair. lol. but here are some other options for you…
Neosporin AF, Lotrimin AF, Micatin and Monistat Derm.

now i THINK i covered basically everything… but as usual, if youre reading this, and you have questions… please reach out, leave a comment or a question. id love to get back to you and share my personal experiences with this, or cover any detail that i missed.

this hair oil is hard to find. mostly for braided or dry hair, its also really effective scalp oil and anti dandruff treatment. promotes hair growth (especially around the edges). its also the last bit of whats left. and it makes me sad. the smell of it (earthy eucalyptus scent) brings back memories of yesteryear. back when i got all my hair supplies at a spot right off pico and la brea. back when my ethopian gramma would give me good hair tips. it also reminds me of the fact that they dont carry it anymore.

its not a huge loss. im sure i can find it again. also, its an old product that ive been using for a while. im getting ready to break in the Megatek, so its a new rotation of products coming in anyways.
but still.
always sucks when you lose a good product.